I have decided to add a music system for this story to help with reading experience. This system is completely optional and is not completely necessary to enjoy the story so if you prefer to read without music, then ignore the music links.
Here’s how it works:
********* The blue stars contain the link for the site for the music. Right click the link and hit “open link in new tab”
********* The black stars mean to stop the music until another blue one comes up.
Idea inspired by [Mindblower]. Be sure to check out his stories too.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything in this story. Copyrights of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic belong to Hasbro.
You’re aware of how some stories start out happily, well, this is not one of those stories; in fact it’s quite the opposite. There was nothing happy about when “they” came to Equestria. They came without warning and destroyed everything we held dear. When they struck, they hit us hard. We were unable to strike back when they invaded the border of Equestria. Within a matter of minutes, they wiped out any method of resistance we could conjure up. We tried to use the Elements of Harmony to stop them, but even they turned out useless. For when the elements locked in battle with these mysterious beings, they disappeared without a trace. Even our princesses were nowhere to be seen, and my best friend has betrayed us. To this day, the world has fallen into chaos and ruin, and this time, it seems there is no beacon of light to give us hope.
Chapter 1
The sun and moon stood still in the center of the sky in a permanent eclipse. Recent earthquakes had torn the land apart and left the earth jagged and unbalanced. There was no sign of any plant life or vegetation. Any trees that had not been knocked down by an earthquake or burned by a wildfire started to decay. Structures had been torn apart, burned, or completely destroyed by these natural disasters. Some buildings were lucky to have survived and only suffered a few structural damages that could easily be repaired. This is what was left of the land of the Griffons.
One building in particular seemed to still be standing despite the fact it was on a Cliffside. It was an old bar that never seemed to be short of customers. In this tavern, a diamond dog was sitting at the bar ordering himself some cider. He wore a green hooded vest with worn khaki pants. His coat was a salt and pepper color and had some hair on his head that was threatening to shroud his eyes.
“Hey Fido,” the griffon bartender greeted, “what’ll it be tonight?”
“The usual,” the dog answered, “no alcohol.”
The bartender was quick to fill the order and soon Fido was able to enjoy his cider for a while. “So, how has life in the mines been lately?” the griffon asked.
“Same thing every day,” Fido took a sip of his cider, “jewels have been scarce for the last seven years. Ever since the calamity overtook, we’ve had more trouble finding jewels than ever before. The cave-ins are more frequent, there have been about twenty cave-ins in the last two weeks. Ever since the Nameless took over everything, life for us has just gotten worse.”
“We’re not exactly doing so hot either,” the bartender said, “trying to find food in the Celestia-forsaken wasteland has become quite a chore. Hunting has not been so easy with all the animals dying, and the only way to get any fruit or vegetables is by using magic. I mean, you have no idea how hard it was to find someone to grow some apples for this cider.”
“Well, at least someone is trying to make the best these hard times.” Fido remarked turning to see a table of different creatures playing poker. The bartender let out an exasperated sigh.
“Yeah, our prince is sure cheering us up by gambling with other creatures.” He said with obvious sarcasm, referring to the griffon wearing a steel breast plate and a helmet to his side. “He comes here to get away and gamble instead of trying to rule his kingdom. It’s no wonder this land is in such turmoil.”
“So, you guys still think you can beat me?” the prince said with a smirk. The table contained him, a Minotaur, a teenage dragon, a diamond dog, and a goblin. “Well, I’m going all in!”
“Fold.” The dragon said defeated.
“Me too.” The goblin did the same.
“I got two pair.” Said the minotaur.
“Three of a kind” the diamond dog stated proudly. The griffon prince then threw down his cards and smiled evilly.
“Full House suckers!” the others bowed their heads in defeat as the prince collected all the bits in the middle of the table. “Ha ha, come to papa,” his attention turned to the goblins cards. “Wait a minute, you have a strait flush! Goh, you do this every time!! I can’t even enjoy my victory because you make it too easy!! You little-” he started to choke on his rage.
“Hey Caesar, don’t yell at him,” the dragon said, “just because he’s a little slow doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the game.”
It took a while for the goblin to process, but suddenly, he jumped onto the table unsheathing his dagger. “How dare you call me that! I oughta-”
The goblin was interrupted by the sound of hooves clopping against the floor. Everyone’s attention turned to the entrance as a hooded figure entering the tavern and walking up to the bar. The figure sat next to Fido but did not remove its hood. Fido’s eyes went big along with everyone in the tavern. It was a pony.
The bartender tried not to stare. “Welcome stranger, what can I get for ya?”
“Magick-Apple Cider,” the pony answered, “no alcohol.” Fido could obviously tell it was a mare from the feminine voice, but the pony appeared to be wearing a full body suit under the cloak. At the table, Caesar huddled everyone at the table together.
“What is a pony doing here?” the dragon whispered, “I thought any ponies that were still slaves in Alcatraz.”
“Probably another escapee trying to get out again, it’s not she has any place to go.” The minotaur remarked.
“Well, rumor has it that there is a small rebellion trying to form amongst a couple of ponies.” Caesar grinned, “If she is one of ‘em we’ll be heroes. She’s likely to have a large bounty on her head.”
“Oooohh, we’ll be rich.” The diamond dog said.
“Is she wanted dead or alive?” the dragon asked.
“Doesn’t matter,” Caesar answered, “as long as we turn her in, we still get our money.”
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” as the group sat back down, the mare approached them.
Ha, this is just too perfect! Caesar thought, that reward is as good as ours.
“I’m looking for the Griffon Prince; I have important business to discuss with him.”
“I am Prince Caesar, heir to the throne.”
“I see, well I have come here to ask for your aid; I am in need of-”
“WATCH OUT!” Fido suddenly yelled at the pony. As she turned around she saw the goblin take a swipe at her with his dagger. She nimbly dodged the blow and immediately jumped away from the group. The goblin was suddenly enveloped in a redish-purple aura and thrown against the wall.
“What the-she’s a unicorn!” Caesar exclaimed. Blasted dog, he ruined the bait! “Get her!” The others picked up weapons beside their seats and charged for the unicorn. The diamond dog attempted to tackle her, but she dodged the dog and bound him to the floor using her magic. The minotaur was just about to bring down his axe when he received a telekinetic shot to his stomach sending him back to the other side of the tavern. Before the dragon could react, he was turned into a block of ice, thanks to the unicorn.
Where did the other one go? The unicorn thought noticing Caesar was no longer with the group.
“Ha!” the prince pulled back the hood of the robe from behind and placed a ring on the unicorn’s horn. “An anti-magic ring should keep you from getting away!” He then grabbed the pony by the throat as she tried to remove the ring to no avail.
“Wait! Don’t kill me! I can help you!” the unicorn shouted as she was lifted into the air.
“Yeah, you sure can, by getting me lots of money!”
“I know about your kingdom; I know it has been in distress for a long time, but I can help you bring it back to the glorious land it once was!”
“Shut up!!” Caesar howled in rage, “Don’t you dare act like you know about my kingdom! You have no idea what we’ve been through, the hardships we faced, and what I’ve done to try and save it!”
“But if you’ll just listen to me, I can help you!”
“You little foal!!!” he began to raise his sword, “I’ll silence you once and for all!!!” The pony closed her eyes expecting to meet her end.
*BAM!*
The blow never came. When she opened her eyes, she was sitting on her rump with Caesar unconscious beside her and Fido holding the anti-magic ring and a massive club.
“I don’t know who you are,” he said with a smirk, “but you seem to have a knack for getting in trouble.” The duo turned to see the minotaur and goblin recovering and the minotaur was freeing the diamond dog from his bonds. “Uh oh, looks like we’ve over stayed our welcome!” He grabbed the pony and bolted toward the nearest window.
“What the hay are you doing?! Are you crazy?! We’re on the edge of a cliff!” but her warning came to late as Fido leapt out the window and the two started falling down the Cliffside.
“I trust you know a flight spell or teleportation spell of some sort!” The unicorn fired up her horn and in a flash, the two appeared safely on a road on the Cliffside.
“Follow me,” the unicorn said, “I know a cave near here where we can rest for a while.”
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The two finally took refuge in the cave the pony mentioned. For now, they were safe.
“Okay, now that we are safe, what did you mean you could bring this land back to its former glory?” Fido asked.
“I was hoping to receive the prince’s help for an important task,” the pony answered, “but since all he sees me as is a bounty, this will be harder than I thought.”
“Why would you want help from the griffon prince?” The unicorn paused before answering.
“I’m looking for the Wielders of the Elements of Harmony.” The dog was taken aback by these words. What surprised him even more was the crown she pulled from her cloak. It was a purple studded crown with an amethyst star on top.
“The Element of Magic!” the dog exclaimed, “I never thought I would actually get to see it! Then you must be the famous Twilight Sparkle!”
The pony shook her head. “I’m afraid not, but I am looking for her, as well as the others.”
“The wielders of Generosity, Kindness, Laughter, Honesty, and Loyalty, correct?”
“How do you know all this?”
“I do a lot of reading whenever I get the chance.”
“Well,” the unicorn continued, “as you know, I have come from Equestria, or as it is now known, Alcatraz. However, I have been trying to search for the wielders of the elements; the Element of Magic here is the only lead I have right now. After tampering around with some magic, the element has been able to reveal that one of the wielders is possibly in this land. The element has been reacting more since I arrived here.”
Fido gave the unicorn a confused look. “Wait a minute, if you are not one of the Wielders, then who are you?”
The pony removed her garments to reveal a white coat with a purple and pink mane. “My name…is Sweetie Belle.”
End of Chapter 1
If one of the links are not working, or you have any suggestions for music, please let me know.